Other types of trees all produce sap as well, but maple trees produce enough sap and have have the highest ratio of sap to syrup.

To be able to get the sap from a maple tree, you have to drill a six inch hole horizontally into it and insert a tube that leads to a container. Don’t make the container air tight.

“Getting sap from a tree doesn’t hurt,” Ewen said.

It does leave a scar, but it doesn’t effect the tree’s growth.

When boiling the sap, make sure to do it outside, as the process of boiling it can leave a sugary residue on the wall of a kitchen, Ewen said.

Usually there will be a 25:1 to 40:1 ration of sap to syrup after boiling.

After the indoor presentation participants got a chance to go out and see example of maple trees, and got to watch first hand as a tree was prepared to be sapped by Ewen.

The perfect time to sap a tree is when the weather during the day is above freezing and below freezing at night, Ewen said.

It is maple season right now, with the forecast calling for the correct conditions over the weekend.

Sapping season is usually signaled by the sap turning all ‘snotty’ and thick, which is the tree scaring over the sapped spot, Ewen said.

Temperatures at night above freezing also signal the end of sapping season because the sap starts coming out too fast, so that once you drill that hole the sap will come out before you even put the tubing in.

The darker the color of the syrup, the more intense the flavor.

“It’s such a great hobby,” Ewen said. “You get very sweetly rewarded at the end for your little bit of work.”